Stay
by a5t100
Summary: Amika wakes up without any memory at all. Naoi and Otonashi find her and she joins the battlefront. She make's friends, enemies, and maybe she'll even fall in love.
1. Where am I?

Hello, nice to meet you. My name is Ally or a5t100. Just before I start, at the time of posting this, I have completely finished this story. I finished it right before I discovered this website. This is the first story I have written about any anime, and I'm currently working on two others about Ouran High School Host Club (One is posted here, the other is being written by me and my friends(May or may not post that one, I'll need permission)). Anyway's hope you enjoy!

-O0O0O0O-

I can't explain what it was felt like. It was just a long, drawn out beeping noise, and then nothing but black.

I woke up to the sunset. I didn't remember anything, except for my first name, Amika. I sat up and looked around. Where am I? And why was I laying in the middle of the road? I didn't get drunk, did I? I looked around. The building was big, it almost looked like a college. There was a track thingy, and a baseball field. The view was amazing, actually. Whoever goes here, if anyone, is lucky.

"Otonashi, look!" A voice from behind me exclaimed. I looked over my right shoulder. 2 high school aged boys were standing near the building, one of them pointing at me. He had navy blue hair and almost golden eyes, and wore a hat with a small brim. He seemed to be wearing some sort of uniform. The other boy, who I guessed was Otonashi, had orange hair and eyes. His uniform was different from the other boys.

"Excuse me, where am I?" I asked when the 2 boys had approached me.

"Well, you're dead. This is the afterlife," Otonashi answered. I stared at them both, my mouth wide open. How was I dead? I can't remember anything.

"This happens every time," the other boy said, crossing his arms.

"But how…." I trailed off.

"Don't worry, this reaction is normal," Otonashi said, smiling. "You'll get used to the idea. Trust me, I've been there."

"So, how did we all get here?" I asked. Did everyone come here when we die? Or only certain people?

"Everyone here was unhappy in life, and when we accept our past, we get reborn," Otonashi said. He acted like this was normal! "For example, I had a sister with cancer, and I took her to see the lights on Christmas without permission, and she died on my back. Even though I was living a good life in the end, I was sent here."

"Otonashi, we should go, the suns setting," the other boy said.

"You're right," Otonashi replied. "We'll explain everything on the way."

"I don't believe I've introduced myself, I'm Ayato Naoi. Call me whatever you want," Ayato said.

"And I'm Yuzuru Otonashi, but everyone calls me Otonashi," Otonashi said.

"My name's Amika…. uhhh." I thought. What is my last name?

"Don't remember?" Otonashi asked. I shook my head. "It's alright, you'll remember eventually.

On the way to, well, wherever they were taking me, they explained. They told me about everyone in the battlefront. They told me about Angel, and the guild. Basically everything I needed to know about this world.

When we arrive at the Principal's Office, Otonashi make me and Naoi step back. He paused for a second and looked at us, which made me very self conscious. He looked at he door, muttered something under his breath, and opened it.

When we entered everyone looked at us. A girl with purple hair stepped forward.

"Naoi, Otonashi, I see you found someone," she said.

"Yep, her name is Amika," Otonashi said.

"Well Amika, My name is Yuri, the leader of the battlefront, which I'm assuming they told you about," Yuri said. I nodded.

"Nice to meet you," I said, shaking her hand.

"Everyone, introduce yourselves," she said, stepping back.

"I'm Hinata, nice to meet you," a boy with blue hair said. I shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you," I said. All the other names were thrown at me so fast I couldn't even comprehend, so I pretended I knew all of their names.

"That's everyone," Otonashi said.

"Nice to meet you all," I said, smiling.

"You'll meet Angel soon enough. Did Otonashi tell you about her?" Hinata asked.

"Yeah, he explained everything on the way here," I answered.

"In that case," Yuri said, stepping forward. "Will you join us?

I was a little taken aback. I had just gotten here, and they already wanted me to join? I guess they are the only people I could be friends with. The NPC's won't talk to me, and I'm honestly scared on Angel.

"Sure."


	2. Greetings and Dorm Rooms

Congrats on making it to the second chapter! Hope you like this so far, I had a really amazing time writing it. Thank you for reading.

-O0O0O0O-

"Great. Welcome to the battlefront," Yuri said, grabbing a pair of clothes from behind the desk and shoving them into my arms."Yui will guide you to the bathroom." She pointed at the pink haired girl sitting on the couch.

"Why do I have to do it?" she complained.

"Just do it," Yuri said. Yui sighed and stood up.

"Follow me."

-O0O0O0O-

The bathroom wasn't too far away, but knowing me I would have gotten lost. Yui waited for me patiently. It fit perfectly. The uniform had a light blue skirt that matched my hair perfectly and a white long sleeved shirt with a little red tie. I changed out of the flats I had been wearing and put on a pair of black high tops, which also fit perfectly.

"All ready!" I said to Yui.

"Does the uniform fit?" She asked.

"Yeah it fits perfectly," I answered, twirling around.

"Awesome, lets go," she said, turning around and running down the hallway.

"Hey, wait for me!" I called, chasing her.

-O0O0O0O-

I got to know everyone for the next few hours before we all decided to go to bed.

"Wait, where am I going to sleep?" I asked.

"I'm not sure," Yuri answered. "Naoi?"

"Huh?" He said. Had he fallen asleep?

"Do you know is there is any place for Amika to sleep?" She asked him.

"The girls dorms are full, but there are plenty of rooms in the boys dorms," He answered.

"That sounds fine," Yuri said.

"You're kidding me!" I screamed. "I'm not gonna sleep around a bunch of boys!"

"You get your own room," Hinata said as a matter-of-factly.

"I'm not stupid, Hinata," I said, turning to him.

"C'mon Amika, are you really that scared of us?" Otonashi asked. "A spot in the girls dorms will open up soon enough."

"Fine," I said, crossing my arms.

"Alright," Ayato said. "I'll go talk to Angel."

"Angel!?" I exclaimed.

"Angel is the student body president, and Naoi is the vice president," Otonashi explained.

"I see." I can't imagine Ayato as Vice President. He doesn't seem right for the job.

-O0O0O0O-

We kept talking until Ayato got back. It didn't take him long.

"Did you get a room?" I asked him.

"Yep, right next to mine," he answered, smiling. Weird.

"Awesome, but won't they notice I'm a girl?" I asked.

"They honestly couldn't care less," he answered, yawning. "Anyways, I'm going to bed."

"Me, too," I said, following Ayato. I could hear Otonashi and Hinata following me.

It took me longer than it should have to catch up with Ayato. He didn't seem to notice me. He had his hands in his pockets and stared at the ground.

"Are you okay?" I asked him.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he answered. "Why?"

"You don't say much," I answered.

"Just thinking, that's all," he said.

"What were you thinking about?" I asked him.

"I was thinking about what happens when we move on," he answered. "And you memories."

"What about my memories?"

"I'm not sure if anyone told you, but I have hypnotic powers. I can use them to get your memory back."

"Really?!" I exclaimed.

"You bet!" He answered. He explained as we walked to the dorms. I felt like if I hadn't been walking I would have fallen asleep. His voice was so calming.

-O0O0O0O-

"Here we are!" He said after a while of walking. I stood in front of the door. "Go ahead, open the door."

"Oh, yeah," I said, slowly twisting the door knob and pushing the door open.

The place was huge! Nothing like the other dorm rooms. It was practically a house.

"It's huge!" I exclaimed.

"These hypnotic powers do me well," he said, smirking.

"Thank you," I said,

"No problem," he answered and left.

-O0O0O0O-

I looked around. For a dorm room this big, there wasn't very much stuff. Just a small bed with a dresser. It did have a big bathroom though, which was always good. I changed into pajamas, and went to bed.


	3. Operation Tornado

"Wake up, wake up!" Someone said, shaking me out of sleep.

"What?" I moaned, my vision clearing. Who is that?

"It's time to wake up!" The voice said. I recognised it this time, it was Ayato.

"Ah!" I screamed, jumping back.

"What?" He exclaimed.

"Why are you in my dorm room?" I screamed.

"Otonashi wanted me to wake you up. It's kinda 11 A.M.," he answered.

"Oh, well I'm up!" I said, smiling. "I'll be out in a minute, I just have to change."

"Okay, see ya!" He said, leaving.

"Bye!" I said, opening the dresser. I pulled out a clean uniform and put it on, I threw my pajamas on top of the pile of clothes on the floor, put on my shoes, and left.

-O0O0O0O-

When I arrived at the "Principal's Office," Ayato was waiting for me outside.

"You could have gone inside," I said. He looked at me.

"You don't know the password. The trap Noda setup would have killed you, sent you flying out the window," he said, pointing to the broken window.

"Oh. No one told me about that," I said, chuckling.

"They didn't?" He asked, chuckling. "They must be trying to kill you!"

I laughed. "I hope not."

"Anyways…" he began, turning toward the door, muttering something, most likely the password, under his breath, and opened the door. Everyone seemed to be here, although I wouldn't know, I just got here yesterday.

"Hey Naoi, hey Amika," Otonashi said, walking over to us.

"Good morning," I said.

"Good morning Otonashi," Ayato said.

"He's already in a better mood," Hinata muttered.

"What did you say?" Ayato snapped, turning to Hinata.

"Nothing, really," Hinata said, putting both hands up.

"Good," Ayato said, walking towards Hinata. "Go back to being the toilet paper you are."

Hinata started mumbling something, then fell over. Otonashi grabbed the back of Ayato's jacket.

"Naoi, what was that for?" Otonashi asked. He looked up.

"He started it," Ayato said, looking at Otonashi and then at Hinata. Otonashi let go of his jacket and walked over to Hinata. Good, he's still alive. I had never seen anyone get hypnotised before, and it was really cool, but Otonashi seemed really strict about it.

"We're running out of food tickets," Yuri said, changing the subject. "It's time for Operation Tornado."

"What is that?" I asked.

"You'll see," She said, smirking.

"Should I be scared?" I asked, only half kidding.

"No, not at all," She replied.

"Good," I said, sitting down next Ayato on the couch.

"Okay, Amika, you will join team Barricade with the guys, if that's alright with you," Yuri said, pointing to me.

"That's fine," I said. I was already sleeping in a boys dorm anyways, so why not?

"Okay, Yui, are you ready to go?" She asked.

"Yep, we even have a new song!" Yui answered. Why is she so hyper?

"Awesome. The operation will start at 16:00."

-O0O0O0O-

Next thing I knew, I had a gun in my hand, and ready to fight Angel. Otonashi and Hinata had showed me around the school, and told me what to do and not to do. We waited a while for the performance to start, and that's when Angel came. Otonashi was on my right, and Ayato on my left.

"Aim for her legs. She can't chase you then," Otonashi said, raising his gun.

"Right," I said, raising mine.

"On three," Ayato said.

"One, two, three," We counted together.

"FIRE," Otonashi yelled, and I pulled the trigger. At that moment I realised I have never shot a gun, so the power shocked me. I flew back, the gun flying out of my hands.

"Amika!" Ayato yelled, dropping his gun and running over to me. "Are you okay?"

"I'm better than ever!" I exclaimed, jumping up. "Let's do it again!"

"Good. Knowing Angel shes not going to go down easy," Otonashi said, shooting again. Both Ayato and Otonashi had hit her legs, but I had missed. They of course are better than me, but I'll get used to it. I could get used to this world. Not a care, not a worry. It's great fun.

"Amika," Ayato said, snapping me back into reality.

"Oh, yeah," I said, picking up my gun. "Let's do this."

Ayato chuckled. "Okay, on three, shoot, we need to bring her down."

"Okay," I said, raising my gun. For this first time, I actually noticed the music coming from inside the school. It was amazing!

"One, two, three," Ayato counted down.

"Fire!" Otonashi yelled. I shot again, but this time I was ready. I bent my arms a little so I wouldn't hurt them, and gripped the gun as tight as I could. I hit her! Right in the legs! Otonashi and Ayato had hit her as well, but it didn't stop her.

I turned towards the school. Little tan pieces of paper were falling from the sky!

"Run. There's no point in fighting her now," Otonashi said, running towards the school. Ayato followed him, but I stayed put and watched the papers.

"Amika!" Ayato said.

"Coming!" I said. "What are those things?"

"They're meal tickets, from the NPC's. Grab some," Otonashi explained. I did as he said, grabbing 2 handfuls and stuffing them into my shirt pocket. I looked back to where Angel had been, but she was gone. Was she really an angel? I shook my head, following the guys into the building.


	4. Hypnosis

We entered the gym after all the NPC's had left. I ran up to Yui.

"Yui, that was amazing!" I exclaimed.

"Thank you!" She said. "I only just joined, after Iwasawa moved on."

"Who's Iwasawa?" I asked. I had never heard of her.

"She was the lead singer of Girls Dead Monster, the band that was playing. After the teachers stopped one of their performances, she sang a song we had never heard before, and then she disappeared. She moved on," Hinata explained.

"She was an amazing singer," Yui said. " I looked up to her."

"It's was her dream to change someones life with her music," Hinata said, looking up at the stage. "She was such an influence on all of us."

"She sounds amazing," I said. "I wish I could have met here."

"What is this, the feel party?" Ayato said.

"Shut it, Ayato. You don't know anything," I snapped. Why did I say that? I don't know who he is. Hell, I don't even know who I am. Well, at least it shut him up, I do feel bad though.

"Jeez, you have a evil side to you," Hinata said.

"You can shut up, too," I said, turning and running after Ayato. I saw him at the end of the hallway.

"Ayato!" I called out. He kept walking, so I ran after him. I slowed down when I had caught up to him.

"Ayato." He didn't answer. I grabbed his shoulder and turned him toward me.

"Look, Ayato I'm sorry," I said. He didn't seem to care. He can't avoid me, can he?

"Look at me, Ayato. I'm sorry," I said. He was looking at me now. Finally.

"Apology accepted. But there's one thing I want to ask, why do you care so much? You're not like everyone else. I can tell that. First of all, you are the only one who calls me Ayato. You're so protective over a person you've never met. Why is that?" he asked.

"I feel like its my job to protect everyone. Like I had to protect someone, and I failed."

"Your memories," he said.

"What?" I asked.

"You are remembering your memories, but only faint parts of them," he said.

"How do I get them back?" I asked.

"I can use my hypnosis," he replied. "But not now."

"Why not?" I asked, following him down the hallways and towards the gym. "When can you get my memories back?"

"Later. I need Yuri's permission, remembering your past can be very hard," he answered.

"Fair enough," I said. "But I soon as you get permission, I want them back."

"Sounds good," he said, joining the rest of the battlefront. I just stood there and smiled. I was thankful for him. Thankful for everyone here for helping me understand. I'll need their help even more after I get my memories back.

"Amika, over here," Otonashi said, making me snap back into reality. I ran over to the group, which consisted of Otonashi, Ayato, Yuri, and Hinata.

"Hello," I said.

"Naoi has informed us that you want to get your memories back," Hinata said.

"Yeah, I do," I said.

"You do know it can be very hard to remember your past, right?" Otonashi said.

"Yeah, I'm aware of that," I said, crossing my arms. "And I don't care. I need to know where I come from, where I belong in this world."

"Alright," Otonashi said, turning around. "Naoi, Amika, follow me."

-O0O0O0O-

We followed Otonashi into a darkish room. The only light was coming through the window, and the only thing in the room was a table with two chairs.

"Sit down," he said. I sat down in the chair closest to us, and Ayato sat down across from me. Otonashi left so he wouldn't get in the way of the hypnosis.

"Remember," Ayato said, his eyes turning red. "You will remember."

Nothing happened.

"Ayato, is it working?" I asked.

"No," he answered. "I don't understand. This has never happened before." Otonashi entered the room.

"Naoi, what's wrong?" He asked.

"It didn't work on her," Ayato said.

"What do you mean?" Otonashi asked.

"The hypnosis didn't work on her," Atato answered, standing up and leaving. Otonashi grabbed the back of his jacket.

"Let. Me. Go," he snapped, and Otonashi let him go. I sat there for a moment, trying to comprehend what just happened. After a minute or two of awkward silence, I got up and ran after Ayato.


	5. Giving a Hint

I found him sitting on the floor in the hallway, hat covering his eyes. He was staring at the ground, not saying a word.

"Ayato?" I asked. He didn't answer, he didn't even move, he just sat there. I walked over and sat down next to him. I took off his hat so I could see his face. Was he crying?

"Ayato, what's wrong?" I asked.

"I don't understand why it didn't work," he said quietly.

"I don't understand either," I said. "And honestly, It scares me. Is there something wrong with me? Something that makes me different from everyone else?"

"I'm different from everyone else," he said. "It doesn't make me act like any other person, and I hide it best I can. And it doesn't matter, does it?"

"It doesn't matter," I answered.

"I was always the one left out, back in my old life. My twin brother did everything better than me. Before he died, at least. We were playing on a cliff, fighting over an unripe plum, when the branch snapped and we fell. I grabbed onto a branch, which eventually broke, but he fell and hit his head,' He said. He wasn't crying anymore, but he looked like he was about to. "The sky told me I was the one who died. I finally feel wanted here, like I matter."

"Ayato, you were the one who lived," I said. "You lived the rest of your life for you, and even this life is yours, not his. This is your life, you can't change that. And honestly, I would like no one but you. I like you for who you are.

His eyes grew wide, and a wave of shock washed over his face.

"I'll be with the rest of the group when you're ready to come back," I said, putting his hat on my head and walking away from him, leaving him on the floor. I knew he was very sensitive about his hat, so I took it to annoying him, but he didn't complain. He just sat there.

_Did I really…._ I shook my head violently, trying to get the though out of my head. I mean, we only met yesterday. He is cute, you can't disagree with that, but it's not right. There is no way he likes me back, not in a million years.

-O0O0O0O-

Anyways, I arrived at the principal's office a few minutes later. I had gone on a little detour, walking outside and taking a good look at the field and the sun high in the sky. The NPC's going about their daily lives. It gave me time to think. It really didn't matter that the hypnotism didn't work on me. I would remember sometime, right? I mean, I can't forget who I am completely.

"Hey Amika," Otonashi said when I walked into the room.

"Hello," I said, walking over to where he, Hinata, and Yuri were standing.

"Where's Naoi?" Hinata asked.

"I gave him sometime to get himself together," I answered, pulling his hat over my face like he would do.

"Then why do you have his hat?" He asked.

"So he won't be gone too long," I answered. "You know how much he loves his hat. He looks better without it on anyways." I gained some weird looks after I said that.

"What? I just said he looks better without his hat," I said. What's the big deal?

Oh, wait, I know now. I was gone for a while, maybe they thought we were together.

"And just for the record, me and Ayato are NOT dating," I said.

"Right," Yuri said. Ugh, she didn't believe me. Whatever.

-O0O0O0O-

Ayato came back a short while later.

"Welcome back," I said to him. He walked up to me and took his hat off my head.

"I'll take that, thank you very much," he said, putting the hat on his head and pulling it down over his face like I did.

"But what if I want it?" I asked. He turned back around.

"Well, you'll just have to deal with it," he said. I snatched the hat from his head and put it on mine. "Hey, give that back!"

"Nope, you'll have to deal with it," I said, imitating him. I started running around the room, with him chasing me. Everyone else watched us, laughing, and occasionally helping me get away from Ayato.

"Gotcha!" Ayato exclaimed after a few minutes. He had put both of my hands behind my back and I felt like I was being arrested.

"Please don't arrest me!" I pleaded, fake crying.

"You and you're weird friends will be fine if you hand over that hat," he joked.

"Fine," I said. He took the hat off my head and put it back on. He let go of my arms.

"I'm FREE!" I yelled, running around the room.

"She's almost as bad as Yui," Hinata said. Yui would have totally flipped out if she was here, but she wasn't, which was good.

-O0O0O0O-

We spent the rest of the afternoon talking, just like yesterday. I was having an amazing time in this world, I never want it to end. But we all will have to move on eventually. A sad day that will be, but it will happen.

"The school is having a baseball tournament tomorrow," Otonashi mentioned as we were all about to leave.

"Perfect!" Yuri exclaimed, slamming her fists onto the desk in front of her. "We can get closer to Angel without fighting her this way. This is a school event, she must be participating."

"I hadn't thought of that," Otonashi said.

"You get to make your teams, good luck," she said. We slowly walked out of the room and towards our rooms. I walked alone, making a detour outside on my way. The sunset was beautiful. I wonder if earth is beyond that sky, and where we are, or if we even exist while we're here. This is the afterlife, we don't exist in that world, our souls have wandered here, looking for that home.

I went back inside and went to my room. I fell asleep quickly.


	6. Remembrance

"_Miki! Kazuki! Amika!" a muffled voice screamed. I couldn't tell where it was coming from. In fact, I had no idea what was going on. We were playing on the playground, and then it was all black. _

"_Takaya!" I yelled back, recognising the voice._

"_Amika? Is that you?" Takaya asked. I could hear the surprise in his voice._

"_It's me, don't worry, I'll get us out of this," I said. I knew it was a promise I couldn't keep._

_We were put in a room. It had little lighting, with one lantern hanging from the ceiling, casting an eerie glow over the room. Me, my 2 brother Kazuki and Takaya, and my twin sister Miki had been kidnapped. I knew that for a fact now. We were tied to 4 different post around the room._

"_Miki? Kaz-" I started._

"_SILENCE!" One of the men yelled. There were four of them. I could tell that, but I couldn't see their faces. "There's no help in calling out for help. No one is here to hear you."_

"_Why are you doing this?" I asked, trying to pull myself away from the pole, but I was tied tight._

"_For revenge," another man spat. "Your mom ruined my life. It was in high school. We had been dating for about a year, and we were going to graduate. I asked her to move in with me after we graduated and she said no."_

"_We don't need to hear your life story," Kazuki complained._

"_Oh really," the man said, picking up a knife from the table. "He goes first."_

_Everything else went in slow motion. The man walking toward Kazuki, his face shown true horror. The knife got closer, and closer, and closer, until it impaled him. He screamed._

"_KAZUKI!" I yelled tears in my eyes. He fell to the ground, blood flowing out of the knife wound in his chest like a river. The man smirked, walking over to Takaya. I couldn't watch. I closed my eyes and tried to drown out the sound, but I couldn't. I forced myself to watch my siblings be killed. One by one._

"_Now, you're next," The man said, walking towards me. I scanned the floor, which was covered in my siblings blood. Then there was a loud bang. The door had been slammed open and 3 police stood there. They looked at the floor, up at me and the men, and shot the 4 men._

"_Ho-how did you know where we were?" I stuttered._

"_Those men lied to you, we aren't far out of town at all. Someone heard the screams and called," one of the policemen answered. I was sobbing, and just the thought of Kazuki, Takaya, and Miki made me cry even harder. The policemen led me out as fast as the could so I didn't have to see the bodies. Mom and Dad arrived on the scene a few minutes later. Mom was sobbing as well, and Dad was hugging me and telling me everything was alright. The made sure I wasn't hurt, which I wasn't. I watched them drag their dead bodies out of the room, covered in blood. I saw the men's bodies too, which made me want to smile. _

_I spent the rest of my life like a normal kid. I had good grades, and in high school I was on the softball team. I was 2 times better than everyone else, and I was feared by all the other teams, even a few of the members on my team. Everything I did was for them. My dead siblings, Kazuki, Takaya, and Miki. Killed in that order. On October 13th, 1993, the worst day of my life. When I was interviewed they would always ask me what inspired me. And I always said their names. They kept me going._

_I was going somewhere after high school. I was on my way to the big leagues. But it was that day I lost everything, including my life._

_I was walking home from a late softball practice. I was crossing the road, and it was pitch black. I heard a noise becoming louder and louder. I heard tires screeching, saw a bright light, and then nothing._

I woke up screaming. I was breathing heavily and sweating like crazy. I remember. I remember everything.

"Amika? What's wrong?" Ayato exclaimed, slamming my door open and running towards me. I guess he heard me.

"I remembered everything," I said, looking up at him.

"Oh my god," he whispered, running out the door. "I'm getting Otonashi and Hinata." When he was gone, I found myself crying. I was alone, as I had been after my siblings died. I lived the rest of my life for them. They inspired me, even if they hadn't done anything. I sat there, sobbing, until Otonashi, Hinata, and Ayato got here.

"What's wrong?" Otonashi asked, sitting down on the bed next to me. He was breathing hard. They had ran here.

"I remembered my past," I answered. "My 3 siblings were killed. Kazuki, Takaya, and Miki, killed in that order."

"I'm really sorry," Hinata said, still standing in the doorway.

"It's fine, I'll get over it," I said. "Well, when I move on."

"You're not moving on yet, are you?" Ayato asked worriedly.

"Of course not!" I chuckled. "I'm not ready to leave here yet."

"Good," he muttered, crossing his arms.

I stopped crying soon after that. Otonashi and Hinata had gone back to their dorm room, so it was just me and Ayato.

"Well, we've both lost a sibling," I said.

"I guess you're right," he said.

"We'll get through this together, right?" I asked.

"Of course," he answered, smiling.

"Goodnight," I said, laying down on my bed and covering myself up with the covers.

"Goodnight," he said, getting up and leaving, but not before he turned out the light. I smiled.


	7. Baseball

I woke up in a bad mood. I'm not sure why, I guess I'm mad at my past, even though I can do nothing to change it. When I got to the principal's office, which I actually knew the password to now, everyone else was already there.

"Up late again, are you?" Hinata joked.

"I'm not in the mood," I said, sitting on the couch. His eyes grew wide.

"Oh, sorry!" He apologized quickly, waving his arms in the air.

"It's alright," I said, forgiving him. He sighed.

"What was that about?" Yuri asked, leaning over her desk and looking at us.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you. Last night, Naoi woke us up and told us that Amika remembered her past while she was sleeping. Like a dream, you might say," Otonashi announced.

"Wow," Yuri muttered.

"Could you tell us?" Yui asked.

"Yui, don't be rude," Hinata said.

"No, it's fine," I said, waving him off. I explained everything, as the rest of the battlefront listened in silence. When I was done, everyone started saying things to make me feel better, which it did. Everyone is so nice here, nothing like the real world. They all understand what everyone is going through and try to help them with it. In the real world all people do is try to block everyone out, it's really quite sad.

-O0O0O0O-

After a while, it was time for the baseball tournament to begin. Otonashi, Hinata and I had put together a team along with Yui, Noda, and Shiina, and Matsushita had been bribed with meal tickets. We played the first game in the tournament, and guess who it was against. The one and only Team Student Body! Ayato had decided to join their team, as he was Vice President. Man, it's a miracle that he hasn't move on yet. There's something very mysterious about him, and I can't figure out what.

-O0O0O0O-

We headed onto the field. Our equipment, which was provided by the school, was set in our dugout. The other team approached, and we just stood there and waited for them to announce the game. Ayato introduced the team, which was him, Angel, and some of the best players on the baseball team, and we were off.

Our team batted first. Otonashi was up first. He hit the first ball that was pitched to him, but for some reason Noda had decided to take his halberd and hit it back at him. They were yelling at eachother and me and Hinata were yelling from to dugout to stop.

After a while it was my turn to bat. I jammed that helmet on my head, grabbed the closest bat, and ran to home base. The pitch came fast, but I focused on the ball. I swung as hard as I could, and I heard the bat hit the ball. I watched as the ball flew farther and farther away from me. It went over the fence! Everyone on my team was cheering for me as I ran around the bases, while the other team just stood there in shock.

"Didn't expect that out of a girl, did ya?" I taunted. I slid into home, and quickly ran to the dugout.

"Amika, that was amazing!" Otonashi exclaimed.

"What can I say? I'm a professional," I said, referencing my past.

-O0O0O0O-

3 innings in, the score 3-3. All our teams run by me, by the way. I may or may not have hit 3 homeruns in a row, which is totally unheard of. Even after that, our defence wasn't very good and Noda made a horrible catcher. He and Otonashi, who was the pitcher, kept throwing the ball back and forth for no reason, and me and Hinata were yelling at them.

-O0O0O0O-

"We won!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands up and running to where my team was celebrating. The ending score was 9-8, and we probably would have lost if Matsushita hadn't shown up and played outfield for us.

"It's all thanks to you," Hinata said.

"Not at all," I said. "We all did an awesome job."

"Good game, guys," Ayato said. I turned to him.

"You and your team did a great job," I said.

"I didn't know you were so good at baseball," he said.

"Years of playing softball has helped me," I said.

"I see," he nodded.

-O0O0O0O-

Two hours later and it was time for the next game. We rushed onto the field, already confident because of our last game. I heard cheering behind me. I turned around, running backwards. I saw Ayato standing there, clapping and cheering. I smiled, giving him a thumbs up, and turned back around.

"You know, Ayato seems pretty fond of you," Otonashi said. I felt heat rush to my face. I crossed my arms, slowing to a stop in front of the dugout.

"C'mon men, it's game time! Hands in the middle," I called, putting up hand out. The others put their hands in, too. We did one of our cheers, and ran to greet the other team. A brown-hair boy introduced the team, and we were off. I ran back to the dugout quickly jamming a random helmet on my head and grabbing that bat I used last game. Otonashi patted me on the head.

"Good luck," he said, smiling.

"Thanks," I grinned, running out onto the field.

-O0O0O0O-

"Another great win boys," I called, running to the dugout where the rest of the team was. We had one by a lot, the exact number, I'm not sure. And just one things to note, I am calling Shiina and Yui guys, but they don't seem to care.

"We're on our way to victory!" Hinata called, high-fiving everyone. It was nice being able to feel what I felt in life. Feel the adrenaline rush and pure excitement. I looked around the edges of the field. Where was Ayato? He had been here just a second ago.

"Looking for me?" A voice asked. I spun around, looking in the direction of the voice. Ayato was standing there, smirking.

"No," I breathed, crossing my arms.

-O0O0O0O-

"Congrats on winning the tournament, guys," Yuri said. Everyone was back in base. The tournament was over, and our team had crushed everyone. I grinned widely, holding the trophy up high in the air. I looked up at my name, etched into the metal. _Amika Shibuya_ I thought. Being completely honest, I didn't even know if that _was_ my last name, but I feel like I was very close to that last name for some reason.

"Thanks," I said. "I'm exhausted though."

"Same here," Otonashi said. "We should all head to bed."

Yuri nodded. "I'll see you all tomorrow." I set down the trophy, as I didn't trust myself with holding it for that long, and followed everyone out the door. After all the people cleared I saw Ayato.

"Hey, wait up," I called, running after him. He turned around and waited for me.

"Hey," he said once I caught up. I nodded in response. We were quiet for a few seconds. "You did a good job today." I felt heat rising to my cheeks. What was _this?_ I never felt like this about someone.

"Thank you," I smiled. Ayato made me happy, just by being around. _Is this love?_ I shook my head at the thought. I can't fall in love now, I have to leave this world soon, as do all of us.

One we got to our rooms I said goodnight to Ayato and spread myself out on my bed. I don't know what to do now. After some thinking, I decided to rest it off. I pulled the blankets up and went to sleep.


	8. Soccer and Angel

I woke up early for once. It's a miracle! I got up and changed into a clean uniform. I did my hair and headed to base. When I got there, there was only one person in the room, Ayato. _Dammit!_ I thought. _This is the worst time for us to be alone._ I sighed, and sat down on the couch across from him. _Don't say anything stupid and you'll be fine._

"Good morning," I mumbled.

"Morning," Ayato said, looking at me and smiling. _Don't look at me like that_ I thought.

I heard the door open. "Am I interrupting something?" Hinata asked, walking in with Otonashi.

"No," I said, crossing my arms. Hinata whispered something to Otonashi and he nodded. _What's up with these guys?_

"Actually, Amika just got here. I've been here for a while, though," Ayato explained.

"Right," Otonashi said, nodding and smirking.

"What are you two up to?" I blurted out. Hinata walked over to me.

"You're kidding, right? It's obvious you're in love with Naoi," he whispered in my ear.

I was shocked, and most definitely blushing. "I-it's not like that!" I exclaimed, waving my arms. "Hinata! How could you think something like that! And Otonashi! You're playing along with it!"

'He made me do it' Otonashi mouthed.

'Right' I mouthed back.

"Whatever," Hinata said.

-O0O0O0O-

After a few hours of dealing with Hinata and Otonashi's teasing, the rest of the Battlefront started arriving. Once everyone was here, Yuri spoke up.

"We need to quit messing around, it's time to get serious about Angel," she said, putting her feet up. "We've been informed of a possible attempt in breaking into the guild recently, and the best possible explanation is Angel."

"Then we have no choice but to go down there," Otonashi said.

"Exactly, good job," Yuri said. "We'll plan to go down in two hours. You're free to go." Murmurs could be heard around the room.

"This never happens," Hinata whispered to me.

"It doesn't? She must work you hard," I said.

"Why are you hanging around here for? Ii said you can go," Yuri asked. Everyone filed out of the room.

"What should we do now?" I asked Otonashi, following him and Hinata.

"We should play soccer," Hinata suggested.

"Let's do it!" Otonashi declared, putting one arm up in the air.

"I'll get the ball!" Hinata yelled.

"I'll race ya!" Otonashi yelled, looking at me.

"Oh it's on!" I yelled back, taking off down the hallway. Otonashi was really close behind me, but I was faster than him. We ran out to the field, only to see Hinata standing there.

"C'mon, that's, not, fair," I said between breaths.

"Yes it is," Hinata retorted.

"Fine," I said, crossing my arms. "But one question, why so hyped up all of a sudden?"

"It's a joke in the battlefront," Otonashi explained. "Yuri made us keep high tension all day, and if we didn't we didn't get to eat for a week, and long story short we were all starving. So anytime we play sports we act all hyped up about it in honor."

-O0O0O0O-

We played soccer for most of two hours. Otonashi and I made Hinata play goalie, and I hit him in the face with the ball by accident. We were both laughing at him, but it looked like it hurt. We raced inside. This time I won.

"Ha ha! I won," I exclaimed, putting my hand up in the air.

"Yeah, we get it," Otonashi said, breathing hard. I looked around, and I noticed that all the other battlefront members were here and staring at us. I smiled, a little embarrassed, and slowly put my hand down.

"Alright, everyone get a gun, it's time to go," Yuri said, gesturing to the assortment of guns laid out on the desk in front of her. I grabbed a shotgun and followed Otonashi and Hinata.

-O0O0O0O-

It didn't take long to find Angel. She was walking towards us, as we had taken a secret way into the guild.

"Get ready to fire," Yuri announced. Everyone raised their guns except me.

"Wait," I said loudly, stepping forward. I cautiously approached Angel. She didn't have her blade out like Otonashi had told me. "Hello," I greeted her.

"Amika, are you crazy?! Get away from her!" Hinata demanded.

"As far as I can tell, she's not harmful," I said.

"Good morning," the girl said.

"See? She's friendly!" I exclaimed. "Good morning. I don't think I know you're name."

"My name is Kanade Tachibana," Tachibana answered.

"Nice to meet you, Tachibana," I said, holding out my hand. I could hear members of the battlefront gasping behind me.

"You, too, but please, call me Kanade," the white-haired girl said, shaking my hand.

"Amika! Stay away from her!" Ayato called.

"Ayato!" I snapped at him. "You work with her, you must know she's not that bad!"

"What's this all about?" Kanade asked.

"These idiots over here think you're some sort of angel," I said, turning to her and pointing to the shocked group behind me.

"I'm not an angel of any kind," the girl replied.

"That's what I told them!" I exclaimed, rolling my eyes.

"If you're not an angel, then how can you use all those powers?" Yuri asked, putting down her gun and walking towards us.

"I use those powers only for self defence," Kanade explained. "Found the program on my computer and figured out how to use it."

"One question, why are you down here?" I asked.

"There were complaints of loud bangs coming from over here, so I came to investigate," Kanade answered.

"Chaa, that idiot," Yuri muttered. "This won't be continuing, I promise."

Kanade nodded, turning on her heel and walking away. "I guess my work is done, I will see you all at a later time."

"Wait!" I called. Kanade turned to look at me. "You should meet my friends. They may look intimidating with guns, but their nice, I promise."

Kanade paused for a moment, then walked back towards us. "Very well then."

"Okay," I breathed. _I can't believe that actually worked._ I began telling her everyone's names, pointing at them while I said their names. "That's Otonashi, Hinata, Yuri, Shiina, TK, Matsushita the 5th, Takamatsu, Fujimaki, Noda, Ooyama, and Yui."

I saw Kanade nod, and Ayato made a clicking sound with his tongue. "And that's Ayato Naoi. I'm sure you know him."

"I do," Kanade replied. I was surprised that Yuri wasn't yelling at me by now. She seemed quiet about this.

"Follow me, I'll bring you to base," I said. I started walking out the way we came, and she followed. The battlefront just stared at us. All except Yuri, who followed us.

'I am good' I mouthed to them.


	9. Fights and Realisations

"This place looks familiar," Kanade said once we arrived at base.

"Yeah, you stabbed someone in here when we first met," Yuri said.

"I remember that. I feel really bad about that, and I guess it gave you a bad impression," Kanade's voice sounded far off, like she was in another land.

-O0O0O0O-

"Well, it was nice meeting you, but I have to go," Kanade said, standing up.

"Alright, see you tomorrow?" I asked. Kanade nodded.

"Of course." She left, leaving the us in the room. Yuri turned to me. _This isn't good._

"Amika! What are you doing! She's evil! I know it! She _stabbed _someone!" Yuri exploded.

"Are you kidding me! She's a friendly person, you saw it! Maybe you should get to know someone first before going around and telling people their a bad person!" I fought back.

"If you're going to side with her, then you can leave!" Yuri yelled.

I paused, my vision blurred by tears. I glanced at Ayato, who looked very worried. "Maybe I will!" I yelled back, opening the door and running out. Instead of running down the hallway, I ran far enough so they couldn't hear me, and then snuck up so my ear was to the door.

"She's my friend! And I care about her. I'm not going to let you push her around," I heard Ayato say.

"You're going to be like her! You can leave too!" Yuri yelled. There was silence. "Hinata, Otonashi, back me up, will ya?"

"No." Otonashi said coldly.

"What?!" Yuri yelled.

"Yuri, she's our friend. We're not going to risk losing our friendship with her. If you can't appreciate someone for who they are, then you don't need us," Hinata said. I heard a few members agree. I started crying, so loudly that I had to move away from the door. It meant so much to me that they cared so much about me, and were willing to leave their leader for me. I heard the door creak, and I ran around the corner, sitting down and curling up into a ball. I heard footsteps walking closer to me. When the figures came into view I found that it was Ayato, Otonashi, Hinata, Yui, and Ooyama. Ayato looked down at me.

"Amika, what's wrong?" He asked worriedly. He sat down on the floor next to me. I glanced at him, and started crying again. He put his hand behind my head and pulled me into his shoulder. I felt the heat rush to my cheeks, and my heart beat rapidly, but I kept crying.

"Thank you," I said.

"For what?" Ayato asked.

"For being a friend. I'm not crying right now because I just got kicked out, I'm crying because you guys cared enough to leave, too," I said between sobs. Ayato hugged me tighter, and I felt safe. Safe from everything and everyone.

"We'd never abandon you. Trust me, we understand," Ayato whispered. I heard someone clear their throat, and Ayato let go of me. I must have been really red, because Otonashi and Hinata were both looking at me and trying, and failing, to hide their laughter. I looked at Ayato, who looked at little… pink himself. _Maybe.._ I shook my head. _Never. Get that through your head._

"Let's get out of here," Otonashi suggested. Ayato nodded, get up and then helping me up. I looked at him, then realised I was still holding onto his hand and let go quickly, more heat rising to my cheeks. I heard Hinata chuckle from in front of us, but I pretended not to notice.

-O0O0O0O-

"What do we do now?" I sighed, leaning over the railing. Otonashi, Hinata, Ayato, and I were on the roof, and Yui and Ooyama had gone other places. Otonashi shared what Hinata called his "obsession" with key coffee with us. It's really good, I can see why he likes it so much.

"Not sure, things are usually more exciting in the battlefront," Otonashi answered.

"I don't think I can take this much longer, and it hasn't even been an hour," I groaned.

"I'm sure we could think of something," Ayato said.

"But I don't like thinking!" I complained.

"Then we'll think for you," Hinata said, putting his head on my shoulder. "Oh, I wish Ayato would just date me he's adorable."

"Hinata!" I yelled warningly. Otonashi seemed intrigued by this, as he laughed along with Hinata.

"Amika, you really think about me like that?" Ayato joked, at least, I hope he did.

"Absolutely not!" I insisted, most definitely red. This day had just been full of embarrassment, but all for a good cause.

"I know! We could play spin the bottle!" Hinata declared.

"Most definitely not!" I yelled, becoming even more red.

"I have to agree with her," Otonashi said. "I don't think I want to get any closer to you two." He gestured towards Hinata and Ayato.

"I know someone that would," Hinata taunted, looking at Ayato then at me.

"I'm leaving," I said, crushing the key coffee can in my hand. "Come talk to me when you can stop teasing me." And with that I was off to my dorm. I clenched my fists, my fingernails digging into my skin. Otonashi and Hinata could be annoying when they wanted to be, and the fact that Ayato was there the whole time made everything worse.

"Good afternoon, Amika," a voice said, interrupting my thoughts. I looked up at the person responsible. Kanade was standing there, smiling at me.

"Oh, hi, Kanade," I said. I didn't really want to talk to anyone right now.

"Is there something wrong?" She asked.

"No, not at all," I said a little too quickly.

"No, there's definitely something wrong. What's on your mind?" Kanade asked.

"The guys were just being idiots," I muttered.

"Ah, I see. They'll get over whatever is bothering you pretty quickly," she reassured me.

"I hope so," I said.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow."

"See ya," I said, waving slightly and walking away. She was really nice, I don't see why Yuri doesn't like her. Still, I couldn't help being a little mad at her, she was the cause of this problem, after all.

-O0O0O0O-

I collapsed onto my bed, sighing. I needed some time to myself. I don't know what to do, I feel like I'm in the middle of everything. I really respect Yuri, and how strong she is despite her past(Otonashi told me about that), but I also really respect Kanade. I feel bad for her, actually. She seems so alone. And, don't even get me started with Otonashi and Hinata. I really like them as friends and think that we could be really close, but I don't think I can take this teasing about Ayato any longer. The fact that they've caught on and I actually do like him makes it even worse, because I blush. Every. Single. Time.

I shot up in bed, having a brilliant idea. Maybe somehow we could get Yuri and Kanade to become friends. We could somehow convince Yuri that Kanade isn't a bad person. I ran out of my room, running to the roof where the guys had been. Luckily, they were still there when I arrived.

"Back so soon?" Hinata asked.

"Yeah," I said, breathing hard. "But it's important."

"I'm listening," Otonashi said.

"I was just thinking, if there was a way to get Yuri and Kanade to be friends, then maybe we could bring the battlefront back together," I said.

"Sounds like a plan, now, how to convince Yuri," Hinata said.


	10. Convincing

It's been 2 days and we haven't gotten anywhere. We took Kanade to base with us, but Yuri just kicked us out. Otonashi, Hinata, Ayato, and I were on the roof again, thinking of a plan.

"Guys!" I exclaimed, getting an idea. "We could talk to the members on Yuri's side and convince them to join us. What will Yuri do when theres no battlefront left?"

"That's brilliant!" Hinata exclaimed.

"But, who to start with," Otonashi said thoughtfully.

"I think we should start with Matsushita. He seems pretty easy to convince." I suggested.

"Sounds good. Onward march, soldiers!" Hinata called.

Two days and a lot of convincing later we had gotten almost all of the battlefront on our side. The members of Girl's Dead Monster seemed to be staying out of it, but everyone else seemed to be playing along. There was only one person left, Noda. He was going to be the hardest, mostly because of his obvious crush on Yuri.

I sighed, knocking on his dorm's door. This was going to be interesting. The door opened, revealing Noda standing there.

"Good morning," I said, smiling.

"What do you want," he said flatly.

"I want to talk about Yuri," I began. He groaned. "As you probably know, you and Yuri are the only two people left in the battlefront. We're trying to get everyone to side with us so she has no choice but to befriend Angel."

"And?" Noda asked.

"We want you to join us," I answered.

"I still don't get the point in all this," Noda said.

"Honestly, I feel really bad for Kanade. She seems so alone here, and I want to be someone she can be friends with, as do the rest of us. She's not a bad person, she's just trying to protect herself," I explained.

"I'll join you," Noda said. "On one condition. I can still be friends with Yuri."

"Of course we'll still be friends with her after all this is over. We just need to prove something to her," I reassured him.

"Right. I'll do it," he said.

"Awesome! Let's go get everyone else!" I said, excited. Our plan worked, at least up to this point. That was easier that I expected.

"Alright, here's the plan," I started. Everyone, including Kanade, was gathered up, ready to go into our ex-base. "Yuri's in there right now, and we need to barge in and somehow convince her to be friends with Kanade. Got it?" I saw people nod their heads. "Alright, let's go."

I whispered the password, slamming the door open. Yuri was sitting at the desk in the back of the room, her feet up.

"Yuri!" I announced. "We need to talk."

"What do you want this time. I thought I told you that you aren't welcome here," she hissed, standing up.

"I've got everyone on my side now," I growled.

"Noda! What the heck!" She exclaimed. I looked over at Noda, who raised his halberd.

"I'm sorry, Yuri, but their right. Kanade isn't a bad person, and it's not fair to treat her like she's someone she's not," Noda said.

"I trusted you all," Yuri hissed.

"Yuri, if we never stop fighting, we're never going to leave this place," Otonashi spoke up. "We can't stay here forever."

"He's right. I'm not going to let myself stay here forever. We need to get out of here," Hinata agreed.

"Everyone is against you now, what are your choices?" I taunted.

"Are you trying to use everyone against me? Trust me, it's not going to work," Yuri replied.

"You aren't strong enough to take on all of us, especially when we have Kanade," I said, glancing over at her. She was smiling.

"Please, I just want to be friends," she said calmly. "I don't want to fight you. I know you're not a bad person, and you are incredibly strong, and I respect you for that. But even so, I can't deal with all this fighting." At this, Yuri walked around the desk at stood in front of Kanade. I tensed up, ready to protect her. Yuri put her hands on Kanade's shoulders.

"Maybe we could be friends," Yuri said, sounding far off. I sighed, relieved. "You seem kind of oblivious to everything. I could teach you so much."

"Friends?" Kanade asked, putting her hand out.

"Friends," Yuri answered, shaking her hand.

"That was easy," Hinata said. I chuckled.

"It was."


	11. Graduation

I'm sad to say that this is the last chapter in this story. I really hope you liked it, because I enjoyed writing it. Thank you again for reading.

-O0O0O0O-

It's been a week since Yuri became friends with Kanade. They seem to be getting along really well with each other. Kanade seemed to open up more, it was really nice to see them together. We were all sitting in base. Kanade had left for something to do with the Student Council.

"You know, we don't have any reason to be here anymore," I said, thinking aloud. And we really didn't. We had befriended out enemy, so we could leave now.

"You're right," Otonashi said.

"We could have a graduation," I suggested.

"Sounds like a plan," Yuri said. She paused for a moment, but started ordering everyone around. I chuckled. Yuri is still Yuri.

**-O0O0O0O-**

"Now, let the graduation of the Afterlife Battlefront commence," Otonashi announced, marking the beginning of the graduation. We were all set up now, and we were in the gym. She were all sitting in a line facing the stage.

We sang a little song that Kanade had wrote, which Hinata complained about, but it was time to give out diplomas, which Kanade had made as well. I made my way to the stage. I had been chosen to give them out. Otonashi began saying names, in which they came up and I gave them their diplomas. This went by fast, and then it was time to say goodbye. I watched teary-eyed as everyone disappeared, and eventually it was just Kanade, Otonashi, Hinata, Yuri, Ayato, and I left.

"Well, I guess it's my turn," Yuri said, breaking the silence. I nodded once.

"Yuri, I want to thank you, for helping me through this," I began. "I really didn't want to fight. I loved being in the battlefront, but I think it was best for all of us."

"I want to thank you, too. For making me realise that fighting wasn't the answer," she said, smiling.

"I'll miss you," I said, giving her a hug.

"I'll miss you, too," she said, letting me go.

"Goodbye, Yuri," Hinata said from behind us.

"Thank you for helping me meet all these amazing people," Otonashi said.

"You're welcome, Otonashi. Good luck, Yuri said, putting one arm up. She waved, and then she was gone. We were all silent for a moment.

"I guess I'm next," Hinata said.

"Hinata, thank you for being a great friend. You've helped me through all of this," Otonashi said.

"It's been a pleasure getting to know you," Hinata said, high-fiving him.

"Thank you for sticking with me through everything," I said. "I'll miss you."

"You, too, Amika. I'll hopefully see you soon," he said, then he disappeared.

"I'll go next," Kanade spoke up. She hadn't said anything this whole time.

"Kanade, I'm glad I got to know you. I'm glad we could be friends despite our fighting," I said.

"Thank you for introducing me to everyone," Kanade said.

"You're welcome," I smiled.

"It was nice getting to know you," Otonashi said.

"Thank you all," Kanade said, disappearing. Now Otonashi, Ayato, and I were left.

"It's my turn now," Otonashi said.

"Otonashi, I'll go," Ayato said from behind me. He had been unusually quiet through this whole thing.

"You're not going to leave her here, are you?" Otonashi said, gesturing towards me. _Don't' turn red, don't turn red. _Ayato backed away at this.

"Thank you for helping me understand," I said. "You were always there when I needed you."

"It was nice getting to know you, Amika," he said, walking over to Ayato. He whispered something in his ear. Ayato looked shocked, but he nodded.

"I will, thank you, Otonashi," he said.

"Goodbye," Otonashi said, waving, then disappearing. I turned to Ayato.

"Well, I guess it's my turn," I said.

"Wait," Ayato stopped me. "We could stay here." I was shocked. What was he thinking? We _have_ to move on.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"We can stay together forever, Amika. I don't have intentions of leaving you any time soon. I lo-"

"Don't!" I demanded. "Don't say it, Ayato. You'll disappear."

"I think I know enough about this world to know that I'm not letting it take me. And I'm not going to let it take you, Amika. I can say it without leaving, and you can, too," he said softly. I felt like crying, and I couldn't hold back. I feel loved, like I matter.

"I love you!" I exclaimed, unable to hold back my tears. I hugged him, pressing my face into his chest. I was sobbing.

"I love you, too, Amika," he whispered. "Stay, please."

"I'll never leave you," I said, smiling.

"We'll help others that come here," he said.

"Of course," I said.

"Now, let's get everything cleaned up," he said, letting go of me. I took his hand. This was the start of something. Something good.


End file.
